A Demographic Chronicle: The Earliest 30 Years of Ukraine’s Independence

Abstract

This review of a collective monograph “Population of Ukraine. Demographic situation during the first thirty years of independence” written by researchers of the Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies of the NАS of Ukraine and published by “Naukova Dumka” at the end of 2023, highlights crucial points of a comprehensive analysis of social and demographic transformations in the Ukrainian society at the turn of the millennium. The monograph rethinks and summarizes demographic consequences of dramatic events, negative trends, obstacles and factors faced by the Ukrainian society on the way to national independence. The monograph is of high value because the authors proposed ways to overcome the consequences of negative events and trends. It draws attention to the fact that over the last decades (even before the beginning of the full-scale invasion) Ukraine was losing its demographic potential, and once these trend continues it will end up with depopulation fraught with extinction of the people. The factors of the demographic crisis are analyzed in detail. Apart from a comprehensive description of shift s in marriage and family processes and structures, reproductive behavior and fertility, mortality and life expectancy, the monograph gives their comparison in Ukraine and developed European countries. Separate sections of the monograph are devoted to an analysis of internal, external and educational migration of Ukrainian. The authors provide data demonstrating that previous demographic projection for Ukraine were rather optimistic. This monograph, helping foster a feeling of responsibility and national self-consciousness, will be useful for not only narrow-profile researchers, but also for the general public concerned with demographic topics.